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BY 



Mrs. M. C. Buckner, 



PRESIDENT 



WOMAN'S SILK CULTURE ASSOCIATION 



OF ILLINOIS. 



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MANUAL WITH COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS 



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ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO 



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MRS. M. C. BUCKNER, 

// 
CORNER BUCKNER AND RAVINE AVENUES, EAST BLUFF, PEORIA, ILLINOIS. 



Price Twenty-Five Cents. 




PEORIA, ILLINOIS: 

J. W. FRANKS ct SONS, PRINTERS AND BINDERS. 
1884. 






Entered according to Aet of Congress in the year 1885, by 

MRS. M. C. BUCKNER, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



The Prosperity oe a Nation Depends upon the 



Industries oe Its People." 



WITH THE ABOVE SENTIMENTS THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO 



MISS LILLIAN THEILIG. 



INTEODUC TOE Y. 



In this year, 1885, as the labor question is agitating the people, 
the idea forcibly presents itself that the masses would be greatly 
benefitted if their attention was turned to industries that would 
give employment to the women, children, and the aged. I have 
been making careful researches, and find a new industry which has 
proved successful in many of the States — Silk Culture. Though 
new to us, it is very old. It is comparatively unknown in this 
country, though in Europe and Asia it has long been their cheif 
source of income. That it is a profitable industry is shown by 
the prosperity of those nations engaged in it. The silk culture of 
to-day i?J not what it was fifty years ago. Then we had no manu- 
factories. The United States has between three or four hundred silk 
mills at the present time, and the supply is far from filling the de- 
mand. In such an emergency we have to look to other countries 
for supplies. The demand for American silk is steadily increasing. 
An extensive dealer in silks in our city said he would patronize 
American productions in future, as foreign silks cannot be relied 
upon. He should add (as should all other merchants of promi- 
nence) we demand the products be raised in this country. Why 
should we not raise silk here ? It requires the poorest land to raise 
the best mulberry leaves : we have ready and willing workers to 
commence this work, who are non-producers. Says one : Silk cul- 
ture will never be a success in this country on account of the cheap- 
ness of labor in Europe and Asia. It is to the women of our nation 
we appeal. To you and your little ones it offers employment. The 



6 Silk Culture. 

work is light and easy, requiring great patience and skill. It de- 
mands the strictest attention, and should never be left to hired help. 
People are won to love the culture of this little insect. We want 
to awaken the enthusiasm of our people, that they may work for the 
success of this great and lucrative industry. We have few avenues 
of appropriate industries for women. It was by a woman that the 
art was first discovered, and woman it principally adorns, and by 
woman let it be produced. The production of silk has millions of 
dollars for the willing workers among our fair daughters of Ameri- 
ca. In rearing the silk worm there will be blunders at the start, 
and there will also be failures, as there is in many other enterprises. 
I should in no instance advise new beginners to undertake silk cul- 
ture on a large scale. If they do so they will certainly meet with 
failure. The knowledge of the work is easily acquired, but to in- 
sure success education in the art, though we gain our knowledge by 
experience, is necessarily important. 

Silk culture flourishes equally as well north as south ; it is 
said the finest silk in the world is produced in the north. Silk was 
used for musical strings 3,400 years before our Christian era. The 
Empress Si-Ling-Shi discovered silk worms spinning their cocoons 
on the mulberry trees in the northern part of China, in the prov- 
ince ofTartary, 1600 years before Christ; some writers claim 2600 
years before our Christian era. To a few public-spirited persons 
does this infant industry owe its existence in this country. If dis- 
ease ruin the precious crop it is owing to our own carelessness. 
Silkworm eggs of inferior breeds will not pay for the trouble. Dis- 
eased eggs, brought from irresponsible persons, produced through 
ignorance of the best selection of cocoons for parents, poor food, bad 
ventilation, want of cleanliness :— these are causes of failure in the 
silk crop. It is of the very first importance to the success of silk 
culture that there be no disease among the worms. The most caie- 
ful precautions should be taken against hatching eggs that are in 
any way affected. For this reason there should be no eggs raised 
by inexperienced persons, as the people are as yet ignorant of what 



Silk Culture. 7 

is good or bad. All the cocoons should be stifled and dried and 
sold for reeling. Eggs should only be raised by persons who un- 
derstand the business thoroughly. In California, to insure the 
healthy condition of the eggs and moth before distribution, they are 
all microscopically examined by noted scientists, Dr. Behs and Dr. 
Harkness, or by other competent gentlemen selected for that pur- 
pose by the health committee, and all possible care is taken to in- 
sure their excellence. 

A very few years ago it was not thought possible that the silk- 
worm could be raised in the north. Now that that question has 
been forever settled, it remains with the women of our nation to 
make silk culture a profitable industry. The time for the care of 
the little laborers is so short, and the work so light compared with 
many other industries of life, that with perseverance, knowledge, 
experience and thrift we will make it a success. There are many 
obstacles to be overcome in silk raising, and the greatest of these 
is the want of knowledge. Silk culture in its many phases is rich 
with profit to our people. May we see the day when America will 
be noted for her healthy silkworm eggs, in which France has been 
for thirty years deficient. The noted scientist, Pasteur, has been 
employed by that government for many years to discover the cause 
of the blight, but so far has been unsuccessful. It may be on ac- 
count of the overcrowded condition of their conntry. We may yet 
furnish the world with silkworm eggs. It is truly wonderful for 
persons of leisure to follow day after day the rapid progress of this 
little insect in its transformation into chrysalis, enclosed in a. silken 
envelope so closely sealed that we cannot tear it asunder, though 
apparently without exertion comes a beautiful silken moth, the 
last transformation of the insect. I do not think people undertak- 
ing silk culture will realize a profit the first year, and for that rea- 
son they should not experiment on over one dollar's worth of eggs. 
With that amount, with careful watching they will gain experience 
that will enable them to try more an other year. During this time 
the trees are growing if planted out, and by the time they are in 



8 Silk Culture. 

full bearing of leaves the knowledge required will be attained to 
make silk culture a success. If we learn a trade we cannot expect 
to realize a profit from our labor until the knowledge we seek is 
attained. The same in the poultry business : if an inexperienced 
person uudertakes the business with one thousand fowls, in all prob- 
ability they will fail ; but let new beginners start with one dozen 
fowls and they will be almost sure of success. It is the same with 
the silkworm ; each family can produce a few pounds of cocoons, 
and that will soon create a market at home, the same as our grain 
market. Filatures will be established to prepare the cocoons for 
the manufactories. The care of the silkworm, and the reeling of the 
precious filer constitutes a very light and easy employment. The 
work once understood, women and children will readily betake 
themselves to it. A more suitable employment is never likely to 
present itself. Let us then commence the work at or.ce by making 
preparations. The cost is but a trifle. If we should fail w T e have at 
least gained some experience. Then we can try again. We are 
bound to succeed if we have patience and perseverance. 

The Chinese and Europeans gave up this art of silk raising 
with great reluctance. Many a lot of silk-worm eggs shipped to 
this country at great expense has been found upon trial to be pur- 
posely spoiled. The opposition has not ended here. The powerful 
interests these countries have taken to discourage the industry and 
sale of cocoons that have been raised here with our manufactories 
has been very marked. Take it all in all, silk culture has and is 
having a great struggle for transplantation in our American, soil. 
Home inexperience and foreign jealousy have for a time nearly 
ruined silk culture. But let us now hope it is entering upon an era 
of prosperity. It remains with the women of our nation to make 
it such. We must join hand in hand in this great work. The 
north, south, east and west must work as one. We want to make a 
market in our little city, lying in the center of the most productive 
part of the northwest. We expect in the not far-off future to see 
it teeming with manufactories and spinning mills. We have an 



Silk Culture. 9 

abundance of coal and water, and our railroad facilities are as good 
as any in the west. All we want is to keep our people encouraged 
in the work. If cocoons are produced in sufficient quantities to 
warrant it manufactories will follow. Silk culture will give our 
daughters a spirit of independence. She need not leave home to find 
work in our now over-crowded cities. With this work understood 
she can earn more in the few weeks employed in it than she can 
earn in one year in the city. This industry, when it becomes uni- 
versal, there will be filatures established, that women and girls will 
find work the year round. California has been the first State in 
the Union to provide a filature and a market for the cocoons 
raised in the State. It is the first State in the Union whose Legis- 
ture has -come forward and assisted the people to establish filatures 
in their midst. This is what the people want is a market. They 
would willingly buy silk-worm eggs and mulberry trees, but want 
a place to sell the cocoons after they are raised. It is no benefit for 
the government to make appropriations in money and give it out in 
eggs and trees and leave the cocoons in the people's hands. Fila- 
tures should be established in every State in the Union, and should 
be supported by the government. In the old established silk- 
growing countries all receive more or less aid from their different 
governments. 

Girls and women could be taught to reel where filatures are 
established, and could earn one dollar per day in their own homes 
reeling cocoons. They could first raise the cocoons and then reel 
them, giving them employment the year round. 

We should in every part of the country foster this industry; 
we have eager, anxious women that would be glad of this kind of 
work, but they lack the courage to undertake it. Woman and 
woman's work is one of the great questions of the day. She has 
ever been dependent though her share of toil has been heavy, and 
it is very important that she should share in this very appropriate 
industry. 



10 Silk Cultuue. 

It is said small silk raising of from fifty to three hundred 
pounds of cocoons is a success most to infallible, when undertaken 
with sound eggs and best mulberry leaves ; while on a large scale, 
to the inexperienced, it is sure to be a failure. For the prosperity 
of the silkworm and most favorable to health is dry atmosphere, 
plenty of air and warmth, and above all cleanliness and plenty of 
food. Senator Mitchell, of Pennsylvania, said with a little encour- 
agement we can carry this industry into all the homes of the 
farmers of this country, and our productions would largely exceed 
that of Asia, which is now one hundred and twenty millions of dol- 
lars annually. 

In France forty million of dollars are earned annually by their 
women in silk culture. Many of the women of Italy depend upon 
the culture of silk for a living. Lombardy, a small province in 
Southern Europe, exports thirty million dollars' worth of raw silk, 
besides furnishing their own immense manufactories, which work is 
done by their women. Those immense sums of money sent to 
foreign nations for raw silk should be kept at home and go into the 
hands of the women of the United States. Some of the wives and 
daughters of the nobility of Europe have their royal cocooneries, 
and every year in the month of May ladies of high rank, with their 
maids, are busy in the work of silk culture as the poorest, peasants. 
The pleasure of the undertaking pays those ladies of rank. We do 
not advise the cultivator of the soil to give up his farm for silk 
culture, but we do advise him to plant and cultivate a small portion 
of it to mulberry trees, so that his wife and daughters can have a 
lucrative employment as well as himself. 



SILK CULTUEE IN THE UNITED STATES 



Silk culture was first introduced in North America in 1522, by 
Cortez. He ordered the planting of mulberry trees, the truth of 
which has been established in consequence of a litigation arising 
therefrom showing what had been done by the first board of au- 
ditors. One quarter of an ounce of silkworm eggs was charged to 
them from the crown of Spain, selling them at the rate of sixty 
dollars per ounce. They were given into the hands of a man with- 
out principle who, though successful in raising the crop, returned 
only two ounces. He sold the surplus for his own benefit. It will 
be at once seen that speculators existed at that early day. In 1609 
King James L, of England, urged upon the American Colonists, 
by the English officials, for the promotion of silk culture in order 
to supply their manufactories with the raw material. In 1822 
England not receiving what she thought the country capable of 
producing offered rewards to the willing and punishment to the 
disobedient who would or would not prosecute this industry. In 
1523 the Legislature of Virginia offered rewards of fifty pounds of 
tobacco for every pound of reeled silk produced in the State, and 
levied a fine of twenty pounds of tobacco to all planters who neg- 
lected to plant the mulberry tree. Afterwards bounties were offered 
as follows: In 1656 four hundred pounds of tobacco to all planters 
that would continue in the business of silk farming. 

In 1657 the crowned heads of England and all the nobility were 
determined, no matter at what sacrifice to the infant colonies, their 
silk mills should be supplied in order that they could adorn them- 



12 Silk Culture. 

selves in silken robes, which were at that time worn by both men 
and women. The Legislature of Virginia, through the urgent 
solicitation of the King, therefore offered additional premiums of 
ten thousand pounds of tobacco to any plantei who would raise and 
send to England £200 worth of raw silk ; also five thousand pounds 
of tobacco to any person producing one thousand pounds of wound 
or reeled silk. In 1662 fifty pounds of tobacco was given as a 
reward for every pound of raw silk. In 1693 North and South 
Carolina were engaged in the culture of silk. The village of Silk 
Hope at that time came into notice, and gave fair promise of future 
growth and prosperity. In 1718 the industry drifted into Missis- 
sippi, but there is no record of their success. In 1726 England 
received quantities of beautiful silk raised in Pennsylvania. In 
1732 the culture of silk was carried on to a considerable extent in 
Connecticut. President Styles, of Yale College, experimented with 
three mulberry trees for a number of years, rearing and caring for 
the silkworm. A quarto volume of his in manuscript, the title be- 
ing " The Growth, Treatment and Product of the Silkworm," 
which is still in good preservation in the library of that college. 
In 1795 the mulberry tree was planted in Georgia by Oglethorpe. 
He successfully raised silk, as he presented Queen Caroline with 
eight pounds of raw silk from which was made a silken robe and 
hose, and worn by Charles II., at his coronation. In 1755 the 
Princess Dowager and Lord Chesterfield arrayed themselves in silk 
raised in America. Prior to this, Queen Charlotte, on the King's 
birthday, is said to have worn a dress made wholly from American 
grown silk. 

The records go to show that the industry among the colonists 
found favor on the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico, but ere 
silk culture became firmly established it failed. Various reasons 
are attributed as to the failure of the establishment of silk culture 
in the United States. One great reason was the absence of manu- 
factories here and England's arbitrary oppression of the American 
colonists. At an early day the governments of Europe were 



Silk Culture. 13 

opposed to the manufacturing of silk in America. England im- 
posed heavy penalties on all shipmasters who should convey to this 
country any implement of any kind pertaining to the manufacture 
of silk. They allowed no expert in the art of silk weaving to settle 
here. England wished to consume all raw silk raised in the colonies 
to keep her own manufactories in motion. This resulted in disaster 
to the colonies. As the war of the Revolution came on the people 
were deprived of a market. Silk culture then slumbered for fifty 
yearso When Hon. Mr. Miner, of Pennsylvania, introduced the 
subject in Congress in the year 1825, it was referred to the Agri- 
cultural Department. A committee was chosen to act on the mat- 
ter and the result was six thousand copies of a silk manual was 
ordered printed for free distribution. 

Up to the year 1839 silk culture was favorably received The 
people then became excited and many entered wildly in the specu- 
lation. All kinds of business was forsaken, and the raising of silk 
was undertaken on an extensive scale without any practical knowl- 
edge of the work. Unprincipled speculators were everywhere rife 
in the land. They promised large returns to the cultivator ; they 
induced the people to believe there was speedy and great wealth. 
Each hoped to become a millionaire. Stock companies were organ- 
ized with officers at ruinous salaries, who did not understand the 
work, and their untruthful statements increased the excitement. 
The silk yields of the past was greatly over-estimated. The re- 
turns in silk from egg cocoons and mulberry trees was greatly 
exaggerated. The result was many people lost their all. 

Since the failure of 1839 silk culture has existed only in the 
homes of a few, for their own use in making silk thread and mixing 
the fibre with wool and manufacturing into homespun garments. 
In the homes of the farmers and villagers, where land is cheap, and 
with the best breeds of silkworms eggs, and best variety of white 
mulberry trees, and when handled with knowledge and care, silk 
culture will pay the same as dairying or poultry raising. When 
silk culture becomes universal we will have steady markets through 



14 Silk Culture. 

all the country, the same as we have for any marketable produce. 
Home comforts are mostly derived from honest toil, which is gen- 
erally remunerative. We need never expect to grasp riches from 
this industry, but it will be something to add to other industries. 
The time required for the work is so short, and the labor so light 
with the proper food and conveniences, that more money can be 
made, considering the time required, than at most any other indus- 
try ; but to be successful we must prosecute the industry with care, 
and learn by actual experience. It is with small beginnings great- 
ness is sometimes attained. 

Parents in the country should provide remunerative labor for 
their grown-up daughters. The men of our nation have a duty to 
perform, and without their aid their wives and daughters are, in a 
measure, helpless. It is their duty to plant and cultivate the mul- 
berry tree convenient to their houses, and then this industry can 
be managed by the women, the children, and the aged. Cali- 
fornia has at the present time one hundred filatures or reels in 
operation, and has a steady market for all cocoons raised in the 
State. Her people went to work with a will, receiving assistance 
and encouragement from her legislature, which enabled a few devo- 
ted and determined people to encourage this industry. They have 
started several manufactories : one for weaving silk dress goods, 
and another for making sewing and knitting silk. Only four short 
years since they undertook the work, and now thousands of their 
people are busily employed. They have asked their legislature to 
make further appropriations this year and next, and after that they 
think their filatures will be self-supporting. Their climate is not 
one whit better than ours for the purpose of silk raising ; their peo- 
ple in no more need of employment than we of the Northwest, and 
our legislature is amply able to assist in establishing filatures. 
Would that we could but get the people united and interested in 
this great industry. At San Francisco the art of reeling is taught 
to any woman or girl that makes application, free of all expenses. 



Silk Cultube. 15 

It takes about two months to become an expert reeler, and after 
that time they become teachers or reel for wages. Their wages 
average one dollar per day. The great object in California is to in- 
struct young girls, that they may be able to reel marketable silk at 
home : first to raise the cocoons, and then to reel them. In this 
way they can have lucrative employment at home the year round. 



FOOD FOE THE SILK WORM. 



Food is one of the first considerations in silk culture. It should 
be convenient and abundant. The white mulberry tree leaves are 
natural food of the silkworm. Of this tree there are many varie- 
ties. The Lou, or Lou Sang, is one of the best, and originated in 
the province of Lou, in China. This tree answers best for the 
south. It produces large, soft, tender leaves, as large as a dinner- 
plate, easily gathered, and grows rapidly from cuttings. Another 
variety, also a southern tree, is called Nagasaki, or Japonica. This 
tree is so expensive, and no better than the Lou, I have not thought 
proper to advise the culture of it at present, until it gets cheaper. 
It bears large, strong silk-making leaves, and grows from cuttings. 
The Rose is hardy, can stand the frosts of our Illinois winters as far 
north as the State extends, bears large leaves several , inches each 
way, and produces a most beautiful silk. The leaves pick very 
easily. The Moretti leaves are a little hard to pick, and are not so 
large as the above-named, but is hardy, and thrives well in a north- 
ern climate. The Russian Albia is another extremely hardy tree, 
and makes the best of silk. All the above varieties are white, and 
all grow readily from cuttings. I should advise hedge planting for 

mulberry cuttings for silk farming under all circumstances for new 
beginners. The cuttings should be planted in rows, and tended as 

corn is cared for. Cuttings can be taken from the first planting the 

second summer and rooted. When three years old they can be set 

in an orchard if preferred. The mulberry tree will thrive on any 

soil that is not marshy. In planting the best mulberry cuttings as 



Silk Culture. 17 

I have described/ in hedges, and kept well trimmed, and all dead 
wood cleared away, the shoots long and fall-leaved, one person can 
pick one hundred pounds an hour. The hardy mulberry tree grows 
equally as well in Minnesota as in Florida. There are two distinct 
varieties, the white and black, from which many varieties come. 
The black mulberry yields a great quantity of excellent fruit, but 
makes a coarse and unsaleable silk. The white mulberry grows, 
when planted in orchards, to a great hight and size. The leaves, which 
produce a most beautiful silk, are very glossy on the upper side and 
smooth on both sides. The berries on these two varieties of trees 
present various shades, from jet black to pure white. They are a 
lucious fruit for table use. The wood of the white mulberry is 
very compact and is capable of taking a fine polish. As an orna- 
mental tree it cannot he excelled. It should have a place on road- 
sides and public grounds. Its lofty height and brilliant foilage 
gives it a pleasing appearance. Mulberry trees could be raised 
from seeds, but it would be well to graft them, as seeds yield differ- 
ent varieties of trees, which takes time and expense, when cuttings 
at small cost, would produce the same tree. The cuttings grow so 
rapid after the first year cuttings can be taken from them as they 
will need pruning. Be sure in getting cuttin'gs or rooted trees to 
get of the best, as silk cannot be successfully raised on poor mul- 
berry leaves as they produce poor silk, and the profit is all lost 
in the difficulty of gathering the small tough leaves. The rooted 
mulberry trees will come too expensive where acres would be 
planted. I advise new beginners at all times to procure a few cut- 
tings of the best white mulberry. The ground should be plowed or 
spaded very deep and thoroughly harrowed or raked until all is 
smooth. The cuttings should be from six to eight inches in length, 
set in rows eight feet apart. The dirt should be pressed firmly 
around the lower end of the cutting, the upper part covering the 
cutting almost wholly with loose earth, in order to protect the buds 
from the sun's rays. Plant in rows far enough apart to admit the 
the plow and cultivator, which should be used freely. Be careful 
2 



18 Silk Culture. 

not to disturb the young roots. In securing healthy shrubs they 
must be cut back every spring when many shoots from the roots 
will spring forth producing great quantities of leaves, which are 
easily gathered in bags or baskets. The situation for the mulberry 
should be high land, well drained. Dry sandy soil is preferable. 
Low, rich, moist land never produces nourishing leaves, however 
vigorously the trees may grow. 

In planting mulberry trees in open ground the trees may be 
planted at the usual distance of apple trees. The intervals may 
be cultivated in vegetables. Every farmer knows the importance 
of cultivating young trees and securing them to stakes to insure an 
upright, straight growth, and to prevent them being shaken by the 
wind or leveled by storms. One acre of best white mulberry cut- 
tings planted in a hedge as I have described, will yield in two years 
after planting in spring, 8,000 pounds of leaves which will feed five 
ounces of silkworm eggs after hatching. These at nominal prices 
would bring two hundred and fifty dollars net. 

Food is the first matter of importance in sericulture, which 
must be good, abundant and convenient to cocoonery. The best 
breeds of silkworm eggs and best care will prove a success, other- 
wise a failure. The 'best period of raising silkworms will be from 
the tenth of May until the tenth of July. It is a very particular 
little insect, and will make its choice from what it shall make its 
winding sheet of glossy golden thread, which is the one purpose of 
its useful brief life. It will bear with no imposture in the adulter- 
ation of its food. Lettuce or cabbage leaves may be tolerated for 
a while, but the fifth age of the worm requires the best silk-making 

food. 

Those having inferior mulberry trees can improve them by 

grafting with a superior kind. The tree after the first year must 

be carefully trimmed to secure a rich healthy leaf. Much depends 

upon the pruning. The mulberry tree leaves to make good silk 

must contain different substances; among them are coloring matter, 

fibrous material, resinous or silkv matter and saccharine. The sac- 



Silk Culture. 19 

charine and resinous matter is indispensible ; the former nourishing 
the worm and the latter contains the silk-making fluid. The yield 
of silk will be determined by the amount of saccharine and resin- 
ous matter contained in the leaves from which the worm derives its 
food. The mulberry trees I have named are each rich in resinous 
and saccharine matter. The time of pruning the mulberry is most 
any time after the leaves are gathered. All unsightly or crooked 
limbs must be cut away and endeavor to give the tree a neat appear- 
ance. The grounds should be kept clear of grass and weeds, and 
well cultivated. The tree should be trimmed more or less every 
year. On a well trimmed tree which yields large rich leaves, they 
can be gathered in one-quarter of the time it takes to gather infe- 
rior leaves Of a mulberry that pick hard, or Osage Orange leaves. 
One object is gained in well-trimmed trees in passing the half- 
closed hand upwards along the shoots — large quantities of the rich 
luxuriant leaves can soon be gathered. The tree should never be 
allowed to grow over ten feet in height so that the uppermost limbs 
can be drawn down and the leaves easily secured. Mulberry trees 
should be planted on highways, in public parks, around school 
houses, in cemeteries, or wherever there is public ground, in order 
that poor people could raise the silkworm. I think it would be 
preferable to almshouses, as many could then support themselves. 



COCOONERY. 



This expense is easily avoided, as a room in the house or in an 
outbuilding can be used to advantage. The eggs of the silkworm 
are so small, not larger than a mustard seed, and when we take in- 
to consideration the growth of the worm, space must be allowed ac- 
cordingly. When the worm reaches maturity they are about three 
inches in length. Ample ventilation must be secured to the worms 
or disease will attack them. The appliances used in a cocoonery 
are called rack, frames and trays. To construct the rack, use inch 
by inch and a half lumber, ten feet in length, two feet and a half 
wide, and six feet high. Have ten pieces of the ten-foot lumber, 
the same quantity of the two-foot and a half, and fasten together on 
the six-foot posts, which are eight in number, at equal distances 
with screws, brace at the top and bottom of each end, and the rack 
is completed. The trays, twenty in number to fill the rack, will be 
two feet three inches in width by four feet in length, made from half 
inch boards, three inches wide, dressed, braced at the four corners, 
with narrow strips nailed across the bottom to hold it firm. The 
frames are made to fit nicely in the trays, of narrow half-inch stuff, 
halved at the four corners, and clinched with very small wrought 
nails. Cover these with coarse musquito netting, and have forty of 
them. As the worms grow and get too large for the netting it can 
be removed, and wrapping cord can be crossed and recrossed round 
and round the frame. Tack strips of leather on each end of the 
frames to remove them by. A nail can be driven through each 
corner of the frame to prevent them resting too heavily upon the 



Silk Culture. 21 

worms. On a rack of this size can be reared one half ounce of eggs. 
Xo mating boxes are needed ; if you wish to make one take a 
pasteboard box and place partitions through it, or put the silk 
moths in small pasteboard boxes, but I think that to lay them on a 
table answers every purpose. Any person can construct the racks, 
trays and frames. 

For few worms there is not much needed. As the cultivator 
advances in the art new ideas will present themselves. Two such 
racks as I have described can be set in a room fifteen feet square, 
and one ounce of silkworm eggs can be raised in that space. It 
would be well to tack very loose, open muslin over the windows, 
and take out the sash in daytime, to admit all the air possible, and 
close them at night if cool, leaving space for ventilation always. 
In case of storms of heavy thunder close the shutters and windows 
while it lasts. Always remember that proper ventilation the worms 
must have for fear of disease. When silk-raising becomes univer- 
sal, as I believe it will, it may then be necessary to construct some 
kind of a building to be used as a cocoonery, and as the life of a 
silkworm is short, it would be advisable to make it convenient for 
other purposes. It could be constructed so as to answer the balance 
of the year for a hay barn. The silkworms would have spun their 
cocoons before the hay would be gathered in. In any case, either 
for house or barn, the frames I have described would be suitable for 
any building. The larger the building the more could be made, 
and they are so simple anyone can construct them. A building 20 
by 40 would have the capacity for rearing one hundred thousand 
worms. 



CAKE OF THE SILKWOEM 



Procure eggs in December, January, February, March or 
April. If the weather should be very warm the middle of April 
will be as late as it would be safe to order eggs, as they may hatch 
on the road. Keep them in a cool dry place where water will not 
freeze. It is best to place them in a tin box with close fitting cover, 
punctured with small holes for the purpose of ventilation. When 
the leaf on the mulberry tree is as large as a one cent piece, place 
your eggs on a table in a room with temperature from sixty-five to 
seventy degrees. Great care should be taken to see that it is so 
regulated. Silkworm eggs should be hatched where the air is 
moist. I should advise in the selection of eggs to choose Crozier's 
yellow, as they produce the largest amount of silk and finest qual- 
ity. With best of care they will yield one hundred pounds of 
cocoons to one ounce of eggs green. The White, from Bagdad, 
a very fine cocoon, yields from eighty to one hundred pounds per 
ounce of eggs. When the eggs assume a whitish hue the worm is 
formed. When hatched give a few tender leaves finely chopped ; 
feed frequently, but a little at a time. When two days old place 
coarse mosquito netting over them. Sprinkle the leaves evenly 
over the netting, through which the worms will readily crawl. As 
the worms grow the threads can be pulled out each way of the net- 
ting, which gives plenty of room for the worms to creep through. 
Keep each day's hatch by themselves, or if you have but few keep 
the first hatched in a cooler temperature ; give but few leaves 
(though in putting in a lower temperature will retard appetite), and 



Silk Culture. 23 

keep them there until a second and third lot of leaves are secured 
in the same way. This done bring all in a warmer room ; feed up 
as if all were the same age. By this means they will be brought 
through all the molts at the same time. If two crops are desired 
keep back your annuals. When your first begin to spin bring up 
your eggs you have kept back. When you have raised your first 
crop your own good sense will teach you how to proceed — experi- 
ence is our best teacher. The first age or molt. The apartment 
must be light, but the sun must not shine on the worms in any stage. 
Feed the worms with the most tender leaves four or five times a 
a day in small quantities chopped fine. On the fourth day the skin 
becomes hazel-color and looks skinny, heads enlarge and assumes a 
silvery bright appearance. These are marks of their approaching 
first change. On this day the appetites of the worms begin to de- 
crease preparatory to their first molting, and their food must be 
diminished. In the course of the fifth day all the worms become 
torpid. During this period and in the subsequent moltings, they 
must not be disturbed. Second molt: The two first meals of the 
first day should be less plentiful than the last meals of the first day, 
and must consist of the most tender leaves. The litter can be re- 
moved but not thrown away, as many worms cling to the old leaves. 
Those must be continued until after the third molt. If between 
moltings any appear sick, they must be removed to another room 
where the air is pure and a little warmer. Give them fresh leaves 
and they will soon revive. On the third day the appetites of the 
worms will be visibly diminished, and in the course of it many will 
become torpid ; the next day all are torpid, and on the fifth day all 
will have changed their skin. The color of the worms in the second 
age becomes a light grey. Third age or molt : The revived worms 
are known by their new aspect. Feed as before in first and second 
molts. The litter should be removed, the roc in thoroughly cleaned 
to insure the health fulness of the worms. Fourth age : widen the 
space for the worms. The food is to be greatly increased on the 
third and fourth days ; on the fifth less will be required, as in the 



24 Silk Culture. 

course of this day many become torpid. The first meal on this day 
should therefore be the largest. On the sixth day they will want 
less, as nearly the whole day will be occupied in effecting their last 
change of skin. Cleanse the room thoroughly. If the evenings 
be cool after a hot day close up the shutters, but always have pure 
fresh air. None but full-grown leaves should now be given them. 
On the seventh day all the worms will have roused and thus finish 
the fourth age. Fifth age, or until the worms prepare to spin : the 
constitution of the worms being now formed they begin to elaborate, 
the silk vessels fill with silky material. Give now an abundance of 
room, do not let the worms lie so close as to touch each other. 
Continue to feed in abundance as the appetites of the worms be- 
come voracious — give food all they can eat, the last meal late at 
night, and the first the next day early in the morning. They need 
no further care during the night than this. In this age depends 
wholly upon the firmness of your cocoons. If worms have been 
well fed and are in good health, cocoons should reel from one 
thousand to twelve hundred yards. 

Temperature is very important in sericulture first to the egg, 
then the worm throughout its short existence. Thermometers 
should be studied constantly ; they should not rise above seventy- 
five during the feeding period. I believe there is m,ore danger 
from too great heat than cold. 

Continuation of the fifth age : This is the time destructive 
disease attacks them. Be sure your leaves are free from dust, dew 
or dampness. Do not feed any tender leaves in this age, but the 
largest and firmest, and there should no change be made in the va- 
riety of their food. They should never be allowed to be without 
food. The trays should be kept thoroughly clean. Moderate the 
temperature of your room, if too hot, by wiping the floors with ice- 
water ; if too cool, by building a little fire. 

On the seventh day of the fifth age they have attained their 
largest size, three inches in length, and begin to grow skinny and 
yellow. The litter must be kept removed, but must be done so 



Silk Culture. 25 

carefully as not to disturb the worms. The preservation of the 
proper temperature of the apartment at this stage cannot be too 
seriously impressed upon the cultivator. If sudden heat should 
take place, as often happens at this time, serious loss may be suffered 
without proper precautions. The increased heat to which the 
worms are exposed causes them to cease eating, to wander about in 
order to find places to form their cocoons in before the silk fluid 
has been fully matured, thus defeating in a great measure, all the 
care previously bestowed upon them. Sudden changes, either hot 
or cold, are very injurious in this stage. The fifth age can only be 
looked upon as terminated when the cocoon is perfected. About 
the tenth day of the fifth age the worms attain perfection, which 
may be ascertained by the following indications : 

First, when putting some leaves on the frames the worms get 
upon them without eating, and rear their heads as if in search of 
something else. Second, when looking at them horizontally the 
light shines through them, and they appear of a whitish yellow 
transparent color. Third, when they begin to wander. Up to this 
time they have been contented on the trays. When those signs ap- 
pear in any of the insects everything should be prepared for their 
rising, that those worms that are ready to rise may not lose their 
streugth and silk in seeking the support they require. Handle the 
worms with the greatest care and gentleness, as the slightest pres- 
sure injures them. They should always be handled with different- 
sized camel hair brushes. Bunches of oat straw, cornucopias of pa- 
per, and small branches of trees, could be prepared for worms that 
are wanting to spin. These could be carefully placed over their 
feeding frames, when they will immediately rise. Should any com- 
mence spinning too close together they should be removed, as the 
doubles are worthless for reeling. When the worms are forming 
their cocoons the greatest silence should be preserved, as they are 
very sensitive to noise, and if disturbed will for a moment cease to 
spin, then the continuity of the thread will be interrupted and the 
value of the cocoon diminished. During the whole life of the silk- 



26 Silk Culture. 

worm no noxious smell should be allowed in the cocoonery, and no 
dust should be made. The floors must be wiped over with a damp 
cloth to remove the dust. 

First, to gather the cocoons ; second, to choose the cocoons 
which are to be preserved for eggs ; third, preservation of cocoons 
until the appearance of the moth. First — strong, healthy, well- 
managed silkworms will complete their cocoon four days at the 
farthest, calculating from the moment when they first begin casting 
their floss. This period will be shorter if silkworms spin the silk 
in a higher temperature than that which has been indicated, and in 
very dry air. It will be better not to remove the cocoons until the 
sixth or seventh day from the time the first worm commenced to 
spin. They may be removed on the seventh day with safety if the 
time be known with certainty. 



GATHERING COCOONS AND MARKETING. 



Begin at the lower tier of trays and remove the cocoons care- 
fully. All the cocoons that want a certain consistency and feel soft, 
and all doubles, should be laid aside that they may not be mixed 
with the better ones. When a basketfull is obtained empty them 
on the feeding trays, cover them with paper on the bottom and 
sides. When the cocoons are detached the down or floss in which 
the silk worms formed the cocoons should be taken off. If the 
cocoons are for sale alive, weigh them and send them to the 
purchaser; if within one or two days journey it is preferable to 
have them alive, as many get soiled at home and therefore do not 
bring so good a price. 

To pack cocoons for shipping — fresh, live cocoons must be sent 
by express in perforated wooden boxes or in tightly shut baskets, 
well filled up, to prevent shaking on the road. One hundred 
pounds for box or basket is not too much for one day's traveling. 
Twenty-five to fifty pounds can travel four days by express without 
damaging. Cocoons can be shipped in well filled boxes or .barrels 
by freight, to any distance after stifling. Stifling or killing the 
chrysalis should occur on the sixth or seventh day. The best mode 
for small quantities — put as large a kettle on the stove as you have 
filled with boiling water. Have ready your cocoons in a steamer 
tightly closed, steam twenty minutes. When the chrysalis is quickly 
and thoroughly killed, lay in the sun, stirring frequently until 
thoroughly dried. Those not having the means of reeling their 
cocoons a few days after they are perfected, or selling them, will 



28 Silk Culture. 

have to kill them, or they will eat through and spoil the cocoons. 
The surest and best mode of stifling the chrysalis is to do it by 
steam. Those having large quantities, and steam mills are conve- 
nient, could be stifled in boxes contrived for the purpose, subjected 
to steam. Care should be taken that cocoons do not mould. When 
killed spread out on shelves or trays in a well ventilated room to 
dry, as where there are large quantities the trouble would be too 
great to remove them out- and in-doors. Stir them frequently for 
the first week, and afterwards every day for six weeks. When 
thoroughly dried they are ready for market. The boxes and bar- 
rels they are packed in should be weighed and their weights marked 
thereon, in order to ascertain the weight of the cocoons after they 
are packed. Put the inferior cocoons in packages by themselves. 
Great care should be taken that none are jammed or cracked — such 
injury would destroy their value for reeling. Rats, mice, ants, 
moths and other insects, must be guarded against. When packing 
the cocoons sprinkle camphor gum finely pulverized or tobacco 
stems occasionally through the packages. It requires about thirteen 
pounds of green cocoons, or four and one-third pounds of dry, to 
yield one pound of raw or reeled silk. It is estimated that the 
waste in floss doubles cocoons, and will about pay for reeling. 
About twenty pounds of the best mulberry leaves fed to the silk- 
worm will make one pound of silk. 



EGGS FOR HATCHING. 



Choosing the Cocoons for the Production of Eggs. — A female 
silk moth will lay from two hundred to four hundred eggs (some 
say six hundred). Select the small cocoons of a straw color with 
hard ends and fine webs, and which are a little depressed in the 
centre, as if tightened by a string; these are to be preferred. There 
are no certain signs to distinguish the sexes. The best known are 
the following : The smaller cocoons, sharper at both ends, and de- 
pressed in the center, generally produce the males. The round full 
cocoons, without ring in the center, usually contain the female. 
However, all marks may fail. An extra number may be kept to 
insure success in hatching. 

Preservation of Cocoons intended for Eggs. — Experience shows 
that where the temperature of the room is over seventy-three de- 
grees the transition of the chrysalis to the moth state would be too 
rapid, and the coupling would not be productive. If below sixty- 
six degrees the development of the moth would be tardy, which is 
also injurious. Damp air will change it into a weak and sickly 
moth. The apartment should be kept at an even dry temperature, 
between sixty-six and seventy-three degrees. When collected then 
spread the cocoons on a dry floor or a table, and strip them clean of 
floss or down to prevent the feet of the moth from becoming en- 
tangled in coming out. Select the best, and those that have any 
defects should be laid aside. This is the time to separate the male 
from the female cocoons so far as we can distinguish them. Select 
an^equal number of males and females, and keep the cocoons of the 



30 Silk Culture. 

same day's rising separate, that the moths may pierce them at the 
same time. If the cocoons taken from the whole are mixed, and 
selection made for those intended for breeding from the general 
heap, many will be set aside which were made by worms that had 
risen to spin on different days, and which will be pierced by moths 
unequally, and hence there will not be an equal number of males 
and females produced at the same time. This irregularity may 
cause the loss of a great many moths, or several thousand eggs. 
When the selection has been made, the sorted cocoons can be placed 
in pasteboard boxes put on an incline. It would be beneficial to 
stir them round once a day if the air be moist. If the seed cocoon 
be not very numerous they may be strung on a thread and hung 
against a wall. Pierce the cocoons in the centre with a needle just 
sufficient to attach the thread, as it cannot be ascertained at which 
end the moth will pierce the cocoon. Place a male and female al- 
ternately upon the thread, that they may be near each other when 
they come out, though many writers advise the separation of the 
moths for an hour after hatching, that the female may discharge a 
viscid liquid from her body. Should the temperature of the room 
rise to seventy-eight or eighty degrees the cocoons must be removed 
to a cooler temperature. The formation of the moth, and its dispo- 
sition to issue from the cocoons, may be ascertained when one of its 
extremities is perceived to be wet, which is the part occupied by the 
head. A few hours after, and sometimes in one hour, the moth will 
pierce through the cocoon and come out. If the surface on which 
the cocoons are laid is rough the moth will issue with greater ease. 
The life of the moth lasts from five to eight days. They eat noth- 
ing while in this state. The moths begin, from the time they com- 
mence to spin, to come forth from twelve to fifteen days. The room 
in which the moths are produced should be darkened, or at least 
have only sufficient light to distinguish objects. This is an import- 
ant rule, and must be carefully attended to. The hours when the 
moth bursts the cocoon are from six to ten in the morning. The 
male moth, from the moment he issues from the cocoon, goes eager- 



Silk Culiufe. 31 

ly in quest of the female. They should be coupled six hours, after 
which time they may be gently separated, by taking them by the 
wings and body and pressing the male very carefully away from the 
female. It is easy to ascertain if there are more females than males. 
The body of the female is nearly double the size of that of the male, 
besides, the male beats about its wings, and is in a continual flutter 
until mated. If there be an excess of females, males must be al- 
lotted which have already been in a state of union. Those eggs 
will be found equally fertile. It is the general practice not to use 
the male for another female, but it has been tested, in the event of 
there being more female than male moths, the latter may be used to 
profit. Eggs have been known to be fertile up to the sixth coup- 
ling of one male to that number of females. The moths from time 
to time must be looked after, in case some become separated that 
they may be united again in order to secure the fertility of the eggs. 
Six hours, as has been said, is the usual time for the moths to re- 
main united, for in this time the eggs of the female become fully 
impregnated. Cloth is considered best for receiving the eggs, as 
they are more easily removed from it. If you do not wish to re- 
move the eggs tissue paper is very nice to use, cut in small squares, 
pinned to a cloth hung on an incline. In using cloth or paper it 
should be weighed and the weight marked thereon. After the eggs 
are laid it will be an easy matter to discover the weight of the eggs. 
Place the females, beginning at the top, and going downwards give 
room for the reception of at least four hundred eggs, which, as soon 
as laid, will fasten securely to whatever they come in contact with. 
They are at first of a pale-yellow color, afterwards becoming a blue- 
ish gray. If they do not attain that hue, but remain yellow, they 
are supposed to be unimpregnated. Silkworms properly treated 
will never degenerate. The eggs that have been laid within ten 
or twelve hours are all that should be preserved. If the females lay 
their eggs evenly distributed, and quickly, and they retain their 
weight after drying, they are considered good. Preserving the eggs 
is of the utmost importance. There are many ways described by 



32 Silk Culture. 

different writers, but the best way I have found is as heretofore des- 
cribed. Place them, after being thoroughly dried, in a tin box 
having a close-fitting cover punctured with small holes, in a cool, 
dark, dry place. It is best to have the box made with a handle 
that can be hung on a nail to one of the joists in the cellar, and left 
there until hatching time. They should be placed in the cellar as 
soon as the middle of September or the first of October at the latest. 
The temperature should not fall below thirty-two nor rise above 
fifty -five degrees. 

Silkworm eggs for a time are seemingly lifeless, and they will 
stand a much greater degree of heat than that required to hatch 
them in the spring. They should be looked after during the sum- 
mer, and carefully guarded against rats, mice, roaches and ants, if 
they are where they have access to them they will soon destroy 
them. More than one crop of silkworms in a season I do not re- 
commend, as they never pay for the trouble. The annuals hatch 
once a year. The bivoltins twice a year ; the last hatched must be 
kept for another year. In no way can the first hatched be kept for 
another year, for they will hatch or die. The trivoltins three crop. 
The quadrivoltins four crop. It has long been decided that the 
many crop is a failure. The annuals are the best crop, and there 
are many of those that are worthless. 



DISEASES OF THE SILKWOEM. 



Diseases, as among other animals or insects, silkworms are not 
exempt. Among the most frequent diseases are the yellows, which 
is caused in the last stages by excessive heat. They become very 
much swollen and discharge a poisonous watery substance that 
sickens all that comes in contact with it. Cool the atmosphere of 
the rooms, remove all diseased worms and cleanse the room thor- 
oughly. Use chloride of lime or carbolic acid in wiping everything 
in the apartment. Flacherie or blight are the diseases that have 
made such sad ravages in France for so many years. In the year 
1853 France raised twenty-six million kilogrammes of cocoons. 
Three years later, in 1856, on account of this dread disease, the 
production fell to five million kilogrammes. A French kilogramme 
equals two pounds and a quarter avoirdupois. 

Pebrine can be observed by the following symptoms: The 
worms hatched and fed at the same time have an uneven develop- 
ment. They do not molt at the same time. It is scarcely noticed 
in the first molt. Healthy worms show a ferocious appetite after 
molting. Others remain inactive, eat very little and grow slowly. 
They will be found on examination to be covered with small black 
spots ; they should be removed and buried, as it is supposed they 
are poisonous to others. Over-crowding on the frames is injurious. 
Diseases more frequently attack the worm in the latter stages of 
life ; they often spin their cocoon when diseased. When the moth 
comes out it is also diseased and is transmitted to the eggs, through 
the eggs to the nest-hatching. In this way disease will be perpet- 
uated. 



34 Silk Culture. 

When worms are found sick throw them away, or better burn 
them. The frames and trays should be washed and scalded and 
then fumigated with brimstone. Procure healthy silkworm eggs, 
give good ventilators, keep the room at an even temperature ; do 
not let cold drafts of air come upon them. If the weather becomes 
cool build a little fire ; give plenty of light, but be careful the sun 
does not shine upon them ; plenty of fresh clean leaves that grow 
in high dry land, free from dust — if dusty must be wiped off or 
washed and dried. In the last stages never leave withered leaves 
or excrement on the frames. 

Leaves that have any defects should in no instance be fed to 
the worms. When leaves are gathered they should be thrown in 
your basket loosely ; if packed tight they will ferment and become 
sour, and will be unfit for use. It is of the utmost importance to 
the success of silk culture in the United States that new beginners 
should not raise eggs for a year or two. If disease should make its 
appearance just at this time the people would become discouraged. 
Eggs should be first-class in quality as well as health. 



A FILATUEE. 



A Filature is a reeling establishment where a number of per- 
sons reel silk on reels driven by steam power, under the direction of 
a superintendent, who, with a vigilant eye, watches the operations 
of the reelers in order that they may produce that great uniformity 
in the thread which makes the silk first class, or classical, and this 
silk is of the highest value in the market. 

"The great object in reeling is to get the threads uniform, 
rounded, well joined, properly freed from moisture, and so crossed 
on the reel that they will not stick or glaze, as it is termed. These 
objects are attained by twisting, and the to-and-fro lateral move- 
ment of the reel, as also by properly regulating the distance between 
reel and basin. The uniformity of the thread depends on the skill 
of the operator, who must supply a new thread as soon as one be- 
gins to give out. This is called nourishing the silk, and is done by 
dexterously casting, with the thumb, the new thread upon the com- 
bined strand, to which it immediately adheres. In this thereeler 
must use much judgment, for the silk of a cocoon gets lighter and 
finer as it approaches the end. 

" Whenever the silk rises in locks the temperature of the 
water is known to be too hot, and when it unwinds with difficulty 
the temperature is, on the contrary, too low. The operator is sup- 
plied with a skimmer with which to remove all chrysalides and 
refuse silk ; also, with a basin of cold water in which to cool her 
fingers, which are being constantly dipped in the hot basin. 



36 Silk Culture. 

" The thread of silk as it unwinds from the cocoons is value- 
less for manufacturing purposes, as only several of them combined 
make the staple of commerce. 

" The persons employed in unwinding silk are mostly girls, 
one sitting before each basin, of which she has charge. The basin 
is made of copper, and the water is heated by steam at the control 
of the operator. The cocoons are plunged into the water when it is 
near boiling point and moved about so that the gum which fastens 
the threads becomes uniform and thoroughly softened. They are 
then beaten with a small broom having the tips split, so that the 
loose threads readily fasten to them. After beating about a short 
time, the operator gets all the cocoons fastened, and taking the bun- 
dle of threads, shakes the cocoons until each hangs but by a single 
one ; she now takes up five or six threads, according to the quality 
of silk wanted, unites them, aod introduces the combined staple or 
strand into a little glass eye on one side of the basin. She then 
forms a second similar strand and introduces it into a second eye on 
the other side. The strands are then brought together, twisted 
several times, separated above the twist, and introduced into two 
other glass eyes or ringlets, through which they are led one to each 
end of the reel or tambour, which is kept revolving in a steady, 
rapid manner, and to which is also given a certain back-aud-forth 
side motion." 

This embraces the whole operation clone at Filatures, which 
produces the raw silk. 







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